What's the news?
Here's a bold one - Ford is harking back to possibly the most famous use of a Mustang in the media ever, and probably the best car chase ever committed to celluloid, by marking the 50th anniversary of police procedural film Bullitt with a limited-edition modern Mustang. The newcomer wears the name of the iconic Steve McQueen flick in homage.
The 2018 Mustang Bullitt was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit and, incredibly, alongside it was one of the two original cars from the 1968 movie: a Mustang Fastback that, for the past 40 years, was thought to have been lost forever.
The limited-edition Mustang Bullitt, currently only confirmed for the US market this summer, is powered by an upgraded version of the 5.0-litre V8 engine in the regular coupe, rated at 481hp and 569Nm. That's enough for a top speed of 261km/h, plus a faster (yet unconfirmed) 0-100km/h time than the 421hp/530Nm 'Stang's 4.8-second sprint.
To make it as authentic as possible to the car McQueen piloted on-screen in Bullitt, the 2018 model has a manual transmission with a lever sporting a white cue-ball shift knob. The active valve performance exhaust has been 'retuned to give the car a signature burble' and it also gets the 12-inch all-digital LCD cluster, due to be seen in the new Mustang on sale in Europe later this year, although in the Bullitt there's a green start-up screen with an image of the car, rather than the pony logo.
Exterior paint colours are Shadow Black and Dark Highland Green, this latter hue the colour of the original car. And other features that pay tribute to the 1968 screen machine include chrome accents around the grille and front windows, 'torque thrust' 19-inch aluminium wheels and minimal badging inside and out. Only the circular faux fuel-filler cap 'Bullitt' logo on the rear centre of the Mustang is visible on the bodywork.
"This new Bullitt is, as Steve McQueen was, effortlessly cool," said Darrell Behmer, Mustang chief designer. "As a designer, it's my favourite Mustang - devoid of stripes, spoilers and badges. It doesn't need to scream about anything - it's just cool."
And, talking of the original, a 40-year mystery of one of the original film cars was solved for Detroit 2018. Two identical 1968 Mustang GT Fastbacks were used for the movie, with one being a 'hero' vehicle driven by McQueen and the other - used in many of the jumps during the famous chase scene - sent to a salvage yard. The 'jumper' car resurfaced in Baja, California, early last year, but the fate of the hero car was unknown... until now.
Warner Bros. sold the car to a private buyer soon after the film premiered in 1968 and current owner Sean Kiernan's late father Robert bought it in 1974. Sean inherited it from his father when Robert passed away in 2014 and, despite most people assuming the Mustang had been lost forever, Sean wanted to fulfil a dream of his family's to have the 1968 car appear in public again. He contacted Ford and the two parties worked together to reveal his classic alongside the new Mustang Bullitt at NAIAS 2018.
Anything else?
Well, as if finding a 50-year-old screen legend that had been in hiding for four decades and announcing a 481hp limited edition Mustang Bullitt wasn't enough, Ford had another impressive motor on the NAIAS stand. It's called the Ford Edge ST and it's the first SUV from the brand to have been handed over to the Ford Performance team.
Powered by a specially tuned 2.7-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost petrol V6, the Edge ST kicks out 340hp and 515Nm, driving all four wheels through a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox. ST-tuned sports suspension sharpens the handling, while Sport Mode unleashes the crispest throttle response and shifting patterns, as well as providing a more 'resonant exhaust note'. It rides on 21-inch alloys and features distinctive, ST-esque sporty styling.
Sounds good, eh? Well, cool your jets. This is only for the US market at the moment and there is no indication it will ever come to Europe... Apparently, we get the facelifted model later this year in Vignale, ST-Line and Titanium trims, with improved diesel engines thrown into the mix. But diesel is no substitute for a 340hp petrol V6, sadly.